Graduate Resources for Advancing Diversity with Maryland Astronomy and Physics

The GRAD-MAP Spring Symposium takes place on a Saturday in April (in 2016: April 23rd), at the University of Maryland, College Park. It's the third component of the GRAD-MAP program, and is meant to bring together students, researchers, and faculty in astronomy and physics at the University of Maryland and area community colleges, HBCUs, and MSIs in one place, for one day, to share the research happening at these institutions and have facilitated discussions on the state of our field. Anyone interested in helping build new connections to support student success and  excellence in research and to improve the representation of and climate for minorities in astronomy and physics is welcome to attend! There is no registration fee for the Spring Symposium. Read below to learn more about the Spring Symposium components. 

 

 

 

Six-eight faculty researchers are invited to present their research at the Spring Symposium. The speakers are selected to showcase the wide variety of research undertaken at UMD and area HBCUs, MSIs, and community colleges. The talks are short and aimed to engage both students and faculty 

 

 

 

Improving the state of of our field goes beyond just building research collaborations and getting undergraduate students involved in research early (though we hope that happens, too!). It will require people in positions of power and influence now (i.e. faculty) and the future of our field (i.e. undergraduate and graduate students) to have open and productive discussions on how to make our field better and what students need to succeed. At the Spring Symposium, we try to build a space to have those discussions, first through faciliated conversations with faculty and students separated, and then through a conversation with the entire group. In 2015, through a "Rise Above" grant from the UMD Office of Diversity and Inclusion, we were able to bring in a trained facilitator for the faculty session and get training for our team members to facilitate the student session, and we intend to do the same this year. 

 

 

 

GRAD-MAP wants to help build a community among the students, faculty, and researchers at UMD and their counterparts at area HBCUs, MSIs, and community colleges, and we set aside time for Spring Symposium attendees to interact in a more informal setting. Attendees, and particularly undergraduate and graduate students, are encouraged to bring research posters to the Spring Symposium, and extended lunch and coffee breaks will provide a chance to meet and network with folks from other institutions. 

 

 

 

Check out the schedule for they day below! We'll update with more details as they become available.